Can Teachers Tell Which Students are at Risk? Comparing Teacher Reading Risk Determinations with STAR Reading Risk Determinations

The theoretical framework for this study was Michael Polanyi’s concept of tacit knowing, that a professional’s knowledge is composed of both the things he or she can describe explicitly and a tacit component that is difficult, if not impossible, to define or describe. In the national context of an increasing emphasis on accountability, the use of data, and standardized testing, teachers’ judgments, composed as they are of a tacit component that can be difficult to express, are not always valued. A review of the literature revealed a gap in the research related to teachers’ abilities to identify individual student risk in reading. The purpose of this research was to determine if, in the context of a Response to Intervention framework, teachers’ professional judgments were equally predictive at determining risk level as the results provided by the screening tools in common use in school districts to identify students who would benefit from a reading intervention. This study examined two research questions: (a) what is the relationship between teacher judgment of student reading risk levels and the screening tool risk levels, and (b) are there variations in the relationships related to student characteristics? Using a tracking tool, 31 3rd and 4th grade teachers in a suburban school district in the Pacific Northwest recorded their determinations of their students’ reading risk. Those results were then compared with the fall universal screening reading risk determinations from STAR Reading. Percent exact agreement tests were used to determine the concurrent validity of the two measures. Overall there was an 83% match between STAR Reading and the teacher evaluations of each student’s reading risk. When the results were disaggregated, most groups had percent exact agreement rates above 80%. This study might suggest that a teacher’s professional judgment could be used as a screening tool, eliminating the need to purchase and maintain a commercially published assessment for the purposes of universal screening

Museum education programs : Portland, Oregon

In this study I explored the variety of educational opportunities available in museums. Next, I examined the museum education programs in the Portland, Oregon area and described what types of opportunities are available to teachers. Finally, I made suggestions for teachers on how to best access museum programs and for museum educators on how to best reach teachers. Interactions between schools and museums exist on a variety of levels. From limited interactions to collaborative programming, schools and museums have found ways to work together to accomplish their joint goal of education. Museums offer self-guided or guided tours, curriculum packets, teacher education programs, access to collections or informational programs related to special exhibits. Some museums and schools have developed deeper relationships in which each give and receive help carrying out their missions. I interviewed museum educators at nine museums in Portland and the surrounding areas. I asked questions regarding the types of programs available, especially focusing on programs suitable for school groups or those that might be helpful to teachers. The programs available in the Portland area vary by institution. Each museum, historic home or zoo offers unique programs on a variety of topics. While history predominates, science, math, social studies and art are readily available. Teachers should be able to supplement nearly any classroom topic. Teachers should take the time to get to know the educators in the institutions. Overall, the key for an individual teacher seeking museum education for students is to ask what is available. The programming at most institutions is flexible, especially when there are traveling or temporary exhibitions. Teachers should get onto mailing lists so they will be notified when special or new programs are available. Also, teachers need to keep in contact with the museum educators. Developing a personal relationship will prove invaluable for a teacher who is trying to fill a gap in a unit or supplement his or her curriculum. Museum educators will benefit from time spent analyzing where their current programs meet state guidelines or focusing planning on meeting specific state common curriculum goals (CCGs) when designing new programs. Schools are reorganizing their curriculum to meet state standards and museum personnel would be wise to do the same

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

IRBs and Best Practices for Ethical Data Sharing

Materials associated with 2017-07-30 sessio